Convertible sound-box for talking-machines



w. w. JACKSON AND C(PAULSEN. CONVERTIBLE SOUND BOX FOR T ALKING MACHI NES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 19!].

1,329,906. Patented Feb. 3,1920.

Mg WW" ATTORNEYS and CHRISTIAN vented certain new 1 provements in the sound m STA'riE Q r afr omen.

. wanna w. J'Acxson, or snwaamr,

- JERSEY,

1 Application filed July 7,

To all whom'z't may concern: y

. Be it'known-thatwe, WALTER W. J acxson PAULsnn, both citizens 0 United States, residing, res ectively, at Sewaren and atRahway, in t e county of Union and State of New Jersey, have inin Convertible Sound-Boxes for Talking- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention ing instruments, they are often called, and partieua'rly to 1mbox of such instrurelates to sound reproducments. a

Sound records for instruments of the character described are, whether flat or cylindrical, invariably either of the laterally undulatingtype, as in records ofthe Berliner class; or of the vertically undulating type, commonly spoken of as the hill and valley type, as perhaps esthnown in connection. with the so-called Edison. or Path maehinesl In the majority of sound reproducingin struments which have thus far been manufactured ranged to play but one of scribed types of'record. This is a great inconvenience inasmuch as many beautiful records are-found only in one or the other of, thetwo types but notin both, so that the possessor of the shut off from 0rd .for which Someattempts have been made to provlde a sound box which could be attached to any usual talking machine and, adjustment, be adapted to of record at will. however, notbeen altogether satisfactory for one reason or another and have, therefore, not secured very wide adoption. In some of suchboxes special elbows have been required to be inserted between the sound box and the tone arm to shift the box with reference to the record so as tobringthe stylus or needle into such position as to per unit either one type of record or the other to be played at will. In other boxes the the above deplay either type with reference tothe diaphragm and other parts of the structure AND CHRISTIAN PAULSEN, ASSIGNOBB 'ro'mn magma comramr,

Specification of te m rattle.

f the about to be simple form of sound and useful Improvements tion wi or talking machines as dapted and a1'- type, parts an understanding of the invention being cut usual machine is entirely enjoyment of that type of rechis machine is not adapted." I

' in Fig.1; Fig.

by a very simple Such soundboxes have, ords of the laterally undulating type;

- box to the same sound throu h or from the sound box has or RAHWAY, new a CORPORATION or new eou'vna'rmm serum-Box r03. TALKING-MACHINES.

i "Pa-tented Feels, 1920.

1917. Serial No. 179,260.

as to interfere with correct rendering of sound effects.

It is one purpose of ourinvention, now deseribed, to provide a very box capable of being attached to avery simple form of'tone arm and requiring but a slight angular movement about an axis perpendicular to the diain order to adapt'it for reproduch one type of record or the other. No special elbows or connections between sound box and tone arm are required for changing d to the other and phragm from one recor in fact elbows are completely eliminated for either form of record while the soun box itself, as well as the tone arm to which it attaches, may'be of the simplest possible design and construction. The herein described train of mechanism that transmits the vibration from the stylus to the diaphragm may obviously'be used in a sound box adapted to play records of one kind only.

Our invention will be better understoodby referring to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a talking mac ine of conventional type having apreferred form of our improve sound box attached and arranged to reproduce records of the vertically undulating of the machine not necessary. to

away; Fig. 2' represents a central vertical section -twicc enlarged, taken through the sound box and end of the tone arm as shown 3 represents aside elevation, on the same scale as Fig. 2, showing the sound box -rotated aboutits central axis through 90, thus arranged to play 1 from the front of the soun d scale as Figs. 2 and 3; and taken on a scale 4, along the line 4 is a plan view Fig. 5 is a'centr'al section. twice that of Figs. 2, 3 and 5-5 of Fig.

In the draw mgs the tone arm 1 is mount-' ed upon a casing 20f usual construction and isadapted to tieal axistin'. aibearing 3. jointed about midway of permit its outer-section 4 to be raisedand lowered about a transverse axis 5. A springpressed pin 6 and a notch 7 in the cooperrota'te horizontally abouta ver- The tone arm is its length so as to v outer the diaphragm 10 and I slot 13 in extension 11 =In the particular I wlthlever 14, has two lateral stylus holder the joint maintain the section 4 in raised is not desired.

The outer endS of section wardly in the an angle of about The sound box 9 comprising a shallow cup recessed to receive having, centrally extended from the bottom of the cup opposite 4; is bent down- {50 with the horizontal.

the diaphragm, a tubular extension 11 which 8 of tone arm section and a corresponding permanently unite the sound box with the tone arm while permitting the former to be rotated about its central axis through an angle of 90.

The diaphragm may be of any'usual construction. A lever 14: of thin sheet metal has its inner end pari'nanently attached to the fits over the outer end 4.. A pin 12 in end 8 arranged to pivot about an axis parallel to the diaphragm and transverse to the lever.

plane of lever 14 is perpendicular to the diaphragm while its inner end is twisted so as to bring it flat against the diaphragm to which it is attached by a screw. outer end of the lever is also bent into-a plane tangent to the .rim of the sound box. Screws 15 pass through this bent portion thus pern'ianently attaching it to the sound box, and by thinning it at 15 the lever is permitted to pivot.

A cross bar 16, permanently fastened at each end to the rim edge of the sound box, carries a pair of knife edges 17. A bell crank lever having one arm 18 constituting a stylus holder. lying in the central axis of the sound box and arranged to hold the stylus or needle 19 in the usual way and another arm 20 extending horizontally over the sound box and substantially parallel supporting arms 21 provided with notches which seat upon knife edges 17 so as to permit the bell crank lever to rock about said edges.

end of arm 20 rests upon but is separated from arm 14 by a spacing mem ber 22 which is pointed at both ends so as to engage suitable depressions in the two levers. A spring 23 keeps the two levers pressed against the spacing'member.

The described constructimi provides a suitably supported laterally vib'rata-ble adapted to carry a stylus in front of the central diaphragm and connections to transmit the vibrations of the stylus holder to the diaphragn'i. In the preferred en'ibodiment illustrated the stylus holder and the diaphragm operating lever are supported on independent spared but parallel pivotal supports and the vibrations of the stylus plane of the tonearm and at is of very simple design,.

construction adopted, the

is rotated vtion of the needle .needle will now mow.

iace portion of theholder are transmitted to the diaphragm by positively acting intermediate connections. e arrangement of lever 1 1 actuatlng the diaphagm at the center thereof and pivoted plane of the motion of the needle, in the transmitted to the center Records of the vertically undu lating type will therefore actuate in correspondence with the undulations and correspondingly oscillate the diaphragm so as to reproduce sound.

If it is desired to reproduce a record of the laterally undulating type, section 4 of the tone arm may be thrown up about the axis 5 and will be held. in place by pin6 and notch 7. The former vertically undulatory record may now be changed for a laterally undulating record and the sound box about its axis until the other end of slot 13 engages pin 12. This rotation will amount to 90 and the plane of vibraor stylus will, after the needle has again been lowered upon the record, now be perpendicular to the axial plane of the tone arm and sound box. The needle will, of course, be inclined to the record at the same angle as in the former case since the sound 'box has merely been rotated about the needle as an axis. The in correspondence with the lateral undulations thereby appropriately actuating the diaphragm so. as to reproduce the sounds represented by the record.

It willbe noticed that, whether the sound box be arranged for records of the vertically undulatory type, the distance from the needle point to the axis of rotation of the tone arm is fixed and i1 ariable. And if, as should preferably be the case, this distance be the same as the distance between the axes of rotation of the record and of the tone arm, then the path of the needle across the record will always be accurately at right angles to the individual grooves of the record. There will be, consequently, no tendency for the needle to jump from its groove while a r cord is being reproduced. It will also be observed that the sound waves are led from the sound box'along 2.

whereby any type or for records of the laterally undulatory box. and a motion transmitting path normal to the center of the diaphragm and that this path is fairly direct to the amplifying horn (not shown) as well as free from tortuous elbows and so called goose necks. llhis path is, furthermore, accurately the same for either type of record.

Instead of locating the needle in the axis of the sound box we may, within the spirit of the invention locate it parallel with said axis but at some or, substantially, any other point upon the lever 20. The distance between needle point and axis of rotation of the tone arm will no longer be the same for the two positions of the sound box and hence there will be some tendency, in one or both of these positions, for. the needle to leave its groove.

Furthermore, while we prefer lar arrangement of compound lever, con necting needle and diaphragm, shown in the drawings herewith, other forms and arrangements of lever may be substituted therefor within the spirit of the invention and within. the scope of the claims which follow.

We claim- 1. In a talking machine, a sound conductor having one end disposed to move across and. parallel with a sound record and a sound box attached to said end, the central axes of the sound conductor at said end and of the sound box being coincident, said sound box being provided with a needle also coincident with said axes the particuof sound conductor and sound box and arranged to escillate in a single plane normal to the diahragm, and means operatively connecting the needle and the diaphragm, said sound box being arranged to be rotated axially upon the sound conductor through a quarter turn..

2. In a talking machine, ing one end pivoted upon a vertical axis and its outer end bent downwardly, a sound box axially coincident with sai outer end and axially rotatable thereon, a needle normal to the center of the sound-v lever connected between said needle and the diaphragm the plane of oscillation of the needle being normal to the diaphragm and the same as that of the lever.

3. A convertible sound box for talking machine's comprising a recessed cup one side of which is closed by 'a diaphragm while the other side has an axial extension adapted to be connected with a sound conductor, means arranged to rock upon a lixod axis parallel to the diaphragm for holding a needle in the axis of the sound thereto,

' a lever, pivotally supported,

a tone arm hav-,

box, and a lever operatively connected between the diaphragm and the said rocking means.

4. In a talking machine, a sound conductor having its inner end pivotally mounted so that its outer end may move across an parallel with a sound record and a sound box attached to said outer end, said sound box. being axially coincident with said outer end, and axially rotatable thereon, a diaphragm, a needle normal to the center of said diaphragm, and a motion. transmitting lever connection between said needle and the diaphragm, of oscillation o the needle being normal to the diaphragm.

5. In a sound box, in combination with a diaphragm, a laterally vibratable stylus holder operativcly supported in front of the central face portion of the diaphragm an lever connections to convert the' lateral vibrations of the stylus holder into vibrations of the diaphragm in a direction norma substantially as described.

6. A sound boxcomprising a diaphragm, a laterally vibratable stylus holder operatively supported in front 0 the central face portion of the diaphragm, lever connections for transmitting the vibrations o the stylus holder to the diaphragm, and

means for supporting said sound box rotatably about its own axis so that in one a lateral position of rotation it will play record and in anotherposition of rotation it will play a hill-and-dale record.

7. A sound box comprising a diaphragm, and attached to the center of the diaphragm, bratable stylus holder supported in front of the central face portion of the diaphragm and substantially coaxial connections to transmit vibrationsv of the therewith, an

stylus holder to said lever.

8. in a sound box in combination with a diaphragm. a pair of lovers mounted on parallel pivots for movement in a plane normal to. the diaphragm and operatively connected to constitute a compound lever, one end of one lever being connected t9 the center of the diaphragm and one end 0 the other lever being holder positioned axis of the souiul about an axis transverse to through the axis of the sound box.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

W ALTER W; Gl lltl STKAN to hold a stylus III-idle box for lateral. movement JACKSON. PAULSEN.

a laterally vitermed to provide astylus lll but passing 

